The Health Minister says political instability would put Ireland's hard won recovery at risk.

Leo Varadkar - who is running for re-election in Dublin West - says if there is no options to form a government after the election, it could put the economy in jeopardy.

He also says a change in policies could have implications.

Speaking to George Hook, Minister Varadkar said, "I'm concerned, and a lot of people are concerned, that the gains that were really hard won over the last five years could be lost.

"Not just because of the risk of political instability arising from a Dáil that can't form a government, but also the possibility that our economic policies may change", he added.

He also warned that it could be difficult to get budgets passed if there is political instability following next week's election, suggesting that in the early 1980s "governments tended to fall over budgets".

Speaking about the latest opinion poll results, Minister Varadkar said, "nobody's going to panic and over-react to a single poll. But it is the case that, if you accept the polls, that we're about 5% lower than we were ten days ago. That is significant, and that is a cause for concern".